KATHRYN EARNHART | At the Butler Omar Vizquel's first exhibition

As The Butler Institute of American Art prepares for its summer schedule of exhibitions, a show and event have been planned to showcase the works of a young painter who is best-known as the Cleveland Indians' star shortstop.
This summer, the Butler Institute in Youngstown will host the first museum exhibition of paintings by Omar Vizquel. These 19 paintings, all acrylic on canvas, will be seen first at a preview reception to honor Vizquel from 6 to 8 p.m. June 7. The event, which is open to the public, is by reservation. (A donation of $25 to benefit the Butler's Children's Fund, which provides free programs for youngsters in our region, will ensure reservations.)
Invitations to the opening will be mailed to Butler members. For information or an invitation, call (330) 743-1107, ext. 123. Vizquel's paintings will be shown from June 8 through Aug. 8.
"Omar Vizquel approaches his art with the same fire and intensity that has been identified with his baseball career," says Butler Director Dr. Louis Zona. "These works are fascinating, and show another side of a multi-talented man."
Included in the exhibition are figurative studies, landscapes and abstractions -- all composed with painterly strokes and in vibrant colors. A poster commemorating the exhibition will be available in the Butler's museum gift shop.
Ralph Goings
Forty years of painting by the master of photorealism, Ralph Goings, continues to draw enthusiastic visitors to the Butler Institute in Youngstown. The show includes famed imagery such as Airstream trailers, diners and trucks gleaming in the California sun. Goings redefined narrative painting in the 1960s and raised the bar of technical handling of oil paint. A gallery talk by Zona titled "Art in Context: Ralph Goings and the New Realism" will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
New on view through September in the Beecher Center's Flad Gallery is "Air-Hunger," an installation by Mary Magsamen & amp; Stephan Hillerbrand. This installation explores ideas about communication and trust in relationships through the metaphor of what is traditionally seen as a children's activity, chewing bubble gum. As two people blow bubbles, the bubbles connect and the air in the bubbles becomes shared. The exhibition is composed of video, video installation and photographs.
'Portrait of Boxing'
At the Butler's Trumbull branch, "A Portrait of Boxing" by Holger Keifel continues through May 23. This exhibition features large-scale photographic images of athletes. (The Butler's Howland facility is at 9350 E. Market St.) Beginning June 2 and running through June 27 at the Trumbull museum will be a show of recent large-scale, abstract works by a well-known regional artist and retired Youngstown State University art professor, James Lucas. A reception for Lucas will be from 1 to 4 p.m. June 5.
Now on view at the Butler's Salem branch through June 19 is a dynamic show of works by well known group of regional artists. (The Butler Salem branch is at 343 E. State St.) Included in the show are works by Mark Alexander and Mary Gilmore of Millersburg; Elizabeth A. Babb, Crystal Kurpil, Lee Booth, Dr. Elmer Day, Julie Wack and Jennifer Lanza-Linn of Salem; Wayne Gruver of Boardman; and Marilyn Collins and Janis Wolfgang of East Liverpool.
New classes are planned at all Butler facilities this summer. Art classes are offered for all ages, including preschoolers. For information, call Mary Pat George at (330) 743-1107, ext. 117. The Butler's Summer Arts Day Camp for children with special needs is also being planned. For information or to sponsor a child for this very fine program, call Carole O'Brien (330) 743-1107, ext. 114.
XButler hours in Youngstown are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Butler hours at the Trumbull branch are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Butler Salem hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission to all facilities is free.